


Order (ActuallyOddDanPlan AU)

by CreatingOfArts



Category: DanPlan, Video Blogging RPF, actuallyoddplan
Genre: Anarchy, Angst, Apocalypse, Character Death, Gen, M/M, No Drama, everyone here deadass needs therapy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-17 23:28:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28733472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CreatingOfArts/pseuds/CreatingOfArts
Summary: The world is often times cruel, no matter how you act in life.  The act of coming together just exists to eventually tear it up, the illusion of society will inevitably pull people back to reality.We live in a world where order is a lie.
Kudos: 2





	1. Act 1: The Orderless

_ “Um... Mr. general-sir, I got the weapon you had asked for. Our searchers found it while scouting an area near the outskirts of a nearby city...” _

_ “Perfect, I trust that you haven’t told the leader about this?” _

_ “No sir, as far as he knows he doesn’t realize it’s in our possession.” _

_ “Wonderful, good job. Now, leave me back to my work if you would.” _

_ “Well, I do want to ask why you don’t want him to know about this. I mean he won’t get mad considering you’re the army manager and all.” _

_ “That’s none of your business, my work shouldn’t concern you. Now take your leave before I have to push you out myself.” _

_ “... Of course General.” _

The two silently and slowly made their way across the pavement, keeping quiet to not attract any unwanted attention. It was basically an unspoken rule that during scout expeditions, you were to make as little sound as possible. With the cities being filled with bandits, people alone or in small groups always need to be alert. And yet, even though they all know full well that making noise can give away their location to marauders, Gavin was tense as he turned his head to the other and spoke quietly.

“Stephen-... do you mind if I ask you something?” he said, hoping Stephen wouldn’t get mad at him for interrupting the quiet atmosphere.

Stephen was a bit surprised by the sudden request, but gave his brother a quick glare before crossing his arms “You couldn’t have just waited till we got back to the building? What is it?”   
  


“Well I mean I could’ve but it just popped up in my head just now.” Gavin looked away as he gripped tighter onto the straps of his slightly heavy backpack. “But I wanted to ask if you think things are gonna go back to normal. Like it was 4 years ago, y’know?”

Stephen gave him a weird look but shrugged, putting his hands in his coat pocket, “Probably not, especially in the country we live in. Sure, even if we are able to stop him then things would be a lot easier, but with raiders and stuff I doubt things will ever go back.”

“So like, why don’t we just move to a nearby country? Sure it may suck but it’s better than living in anarchy.”

“Yeah, good luck with surviving the trip there dumbass. Even with our whole group we wouldn’t stand a chance with all these dumb thieves everywhere always trying to kill us and take our shit.” He sighed tiredly, letting his arms fall to his sides once again, “Honestly just think sometimes dumbass, I know you’re not the brains of the group but you can at least use your few brain cells in there.”

“Oh my god, it was just a question. You don’t have to be a jerk about it...” Gavin groaned quietly, focusing on the ground in front of him “Honestly I don’t know how I put up with you-”

“Yeah, yeah whatever. Dan says the same thing and I’m still here, aren’t I?” Stephen looked up at the slowly darkening sky, starting to pick up the pace “Anyway let’s hurry back to the hideout before we’re caught out alone in the dark with our pants down, and with you talking up a storm it won’t be long before we’re seen.”   
  


“Yeah, sure.”

The duo arrives at the old apartment building shortly after their conversation, Stephen slowly opening the creaky door. They both head inside as they see the familiar face of Ann, who was giving them both a sweet smile. Even with an incredibly sharp dagger in her hand, she can always be welcoming to her friends. She stands up from her stool and puts the weapon back in its sheath, placing her hands on her hips.

“Took you both long enough, I started to think the bandits got to you guys.” She said with a grin on her face.

Stephen snickered, as his mood from before lightened, “Yeah, you know how Gavin is always holding me back.” 

“Oh shush it, I do better than you-” 

“So anything good on your search today? Got a clue on where the sanctuary might be?”   
  


“Nothing too good. The most I’ve found is sharp kitchen appliances and such, nothing out of the ordinary.” Ann let out a tired breath, “But, of course, they don’t do well when you get ambushed by a group of raiders. What we really need are firearms and ammo, though in the city we aren’t finding too much of that-”   
  
She shifted her gaze onto Gavin, “So I’m guessing you two didn’t have much luck with the searches today either? Your bags look awfully light.”

Gavin nodded and put his bag that was on his back onto the ground, “Yeah, we would’ve headed out to the other city nearby but there were a bunch of Jay’s men there so we just turned back.”   
  


Stephen scoffed, crossing his arms once again “We should’ve stayed to see if we could’ve gotten any ideas on where their sanctuary is, maybe if we did this group would actually get somewhere-”

Gavin glared at Stephen “Yeah well I don’t want to risk my life just to get information. Anyway, Ann, we got mostly food and water bottles. Not a lot though, we are starting to run out of buildings to search with everyone who's still alive in this place raiding everything.”

“Yeah well, can’t ever have too much food.” Ann brushed her hair out of her face, turning to go upstairs before stopping for a brief moment “Oh, by the way, don’t forget you’re on night watch, Stephen. Finish up whatever it is you need to do and keep at your station. Food rations are already finished in the kitchen area so grab a bite to eat. You should have the morning off tomorrow to get rest.”

“Alright, thanks, Ann!”

Ann nodded and with that, she headed upstairs. Gavin parted from Stephen as well, going to the kitchen to get dinner. Stephen however heads up to the third floor, more known as the dormitory. He walks over to the quiet room at the end of the short hall, not bothering to knock. And there Hosuh sat, humming to himself and doodling on a piece of paper not yet noticing Stephen’s presence. Stephen grinned as he snuck up behind the small male, being completely quiet.

  
Suddenly, he just blurts out loudly “Hey Hosuh! What’re you up to?”

The unexpected noise made Hosuh practically jolt up into the air, only for his expression to drop to an unimpressed one once he saw who was standing there. He groaned in frustration “I told you to not sneak up on me like that-”

The comment made Stephen burst out laughing, Hosuh beginning to look even more disappointed. Once Stephen was able to catch his breath and calmed down, he spoke “Holy shit- god you’re fun to mess with. I’m sorry Hosie, but you were just being all nice and quiet and I couldn’t resist! You’re just so cute when you’re scared!”

Hosuh scoffed, he obviously did not look too happy. “Don’t call me ‘cute’ or ‘Hosie’, you know how much I hate it.”

“Awww, but it makes you so pissed off! And I just love calling my little twink all these things, they suit you! Why are you so grumpy about it?”

“Stephen, get the fuck out of my room. Go bother someone else.”

“Okay okay I will, just one more kiss before you go!~” Stephen joked as he puckered up his lips, which only earned a harsh hard slap from Hosuh. That obviously made Stephen step back and hold his burning cheek, fuck he went too far again. “Yeah um, I’ll-..I’ll go now-”

Stephen silently left the room, sighing as he closed the door behind him. He doesn’t always try to be an asshole, he just tries to get a laugh out of him and others around him because they aren’t doing that too often anymore. Hell, he hasn’t even seen Hosuh smile since the huge fights after the revolution. He doesn’t even go outside anymore unless it’s necessary, being locked up in his room for most of the day. And getting a rise out of Hosuh just seems like the only way to get some emotion out of him, even if it’s negative. 

Gavin however was starting to get on his nerves, the man was barely any use to the group. He’s basically just another person to look for resources, and fuck Stephen knows he’s not having too much luck with that. They are running out of food and water, and they’re not gaining it as fast as they’re losing it. And Gavin is just another mouth to feed, another person to hide. If Gavin wasn’t Stephen’s brother, he’d leave him behind without hesitation.

Stephen headed back down to the 2nd floor, walking over to the kitchen area to get food and seeing Dan already there writing things down on a notebook of his. Stephen sees the few warm bowls, grabbing one himself. He looked into it, being disappointed with what was inside. Soup again. Great. It’s not like they have many other options anyway, they can’t eat anything that isn’t in a can because it expires quickly and they all know no one is producing and selling food anymore. And a reoccurring meal they always find is soup. Sure, sometimes they’re able to find canned vegetables and things like that but it’s not as often.

He took one of the worn-down spoons on the side before taking a seat next to Dan, beginning to eat the basic food. Dan shoots Stephen a glare as he sits down, putting his small book down. He crosses his arms and says “Y’know, you really shouldn’t be so hard on Gavin.”   
  


Stephen perked his head up at the sound of Dan’s voice “Why shouldn’t I? It’s not like he does his job well. And what, did he tell you how I’m picking on him?”

“Yeah actually, he did.” Stephen was about to mock Gavin once again before he got interrupted “But should I remind you that you carry barely any use yourself? Gavin is the only reason you’re even here, if it weren’t for him you’d be left on the streets to die at the hands of marauders. And he’s putting more effort than you ever care to give.” 

Stephen fell silent, before letting out a small chuckle “That’s cause I don’t need to put effort, I’m already doing the best out of this group. And Hosuh would never leave me to die! We’re best friends!”

Dan rolled his eyes “Keep telling yourself that, and it’s obvious Hosuh wants you gone more than anyone else here. And that’s including me. You always tell Gavin he’s dragging you down but you’re the one causing fights and barely bringing back anything useful to the table. You’re in no position to talk.”

Stephen sat up and held a tighter grip on the bowl “Well it’s not like you do anything! You’re always fucking twiddling your thumbs in front of the map, writing in your little notebook with nothing useful. You never even go on searches! If I’m useless then I have no idea what to even call you!”

“Without me, you would just loot the same buildings cause they all look the same. I’m the one desperately searching for areas where Jay would be, and without the planning, it would be basically impossible.” Dan grabbed his small notebook once again, opening it to the page he was on before.

“Well MAYBE if we had a better person doing the job, we would’ve found him and his dumb sanctuary by now. Cause it seems like we’re not even close.”

Dan gave him a harsh side glare “Well if you were actually doing your job well then I would have clues on where he is, but it seems like you found jackshit. Maybe you should just go and start your night shift and be useful for once, you’re the weapons man after all. Well, I should probably revoke that title. Ann’s had a better job with weapons recently than you ever had.”

“Well-” Stephen looked around as if he was searching for a come back in the room.“Well at least I was able to keep my useless brother alive!”

Dan fell completely silent and dropped the dull pencil he held, fully taken aback by Stephen’s statement and completely shocked. He gave Stephen an obvious upset look, slightly shivering as the memory settled in. “How-..” his voice was quiet and shaky at first, but it immediately raised as his fist clenched “HOW FUCKING DARE YOU?!”

Stephen was about to reply before realizing what he had just said, covering his mouth. Fuck, he went way too far. He needs to apologize, he needs to stop saying horrible things to people. He doesn’t want to say all of this, he doesn’t want to keep making people upset. Just harsh words flow out and it takes him a second for his brain to process it, so he knows that he needs to say sorry. And yet, he just scootches his chair away from the other with his head down, continuing to eat his food. Without saying another word, Dan got up and went upstairs and not bothering to give Stephen another glance as he desperately tried to not let the tears fall from his face.

Dan stumbled to his room, opening the door, and just throwing his notebook on the ground. He was about to close the door until he had a hand rest on his shoulder. He turned his head around, seeing the concerned Gavin before him.   
  


He gave Dan a worried look and took his hand off his shoulder, “Hey Dan, I heard slight yelling from downstairs. Wha- Holy crap, are you okay?”

Dan fully turned to Gavin and crossed his arms, still trying to keep it together. His voice was a bit weak as he spoke, “Of- of course, I’m not okay.. we’re in a fucking apocalypse!”

“Well-.. Other than that.”   
  


“I just, god I-.. I can barely tolerate him anymore. All he does for this group is argue and make fun, and he’s just- he’s just fucking rude! The things he says-.. it’s... it’s just-” As he continued, he began trembling as a few unwanted tears began to fall from his glossy eyes.

Gavin doesn’t hesitate to pull the short male in a hug, Dan being a bit surprised by the action but it didn’t stop him from wrapping his arms around Gavin and just letting the tears flow out. Gavin softly stroked his back, saying gently, “I know he sucks- I know. And I’m sorry he made you feel this way, that was wrong of him.”

Dan didn’t reply, so Gavin just continued “We can’t just throw him out, you know that. I know he’s a pain for all of us but we just have to put up with him.” Gavin paused for a second, “But what did he say to you? I haven’t seen you this upset in a while..”

Dan took a moment to respond, “No, no it’s nothing. I’m not upset, i-it’s dumb allergies..”

“Dan come on-”

“I-i don’t wanna talk about it-..”

Gavin pulled away from the embrace a small bit and slightly crouched down to meet eyes with Dan, “Dan, I’m here for you. I’m not gonna make you talk but I just want to help…” 

“I just-” Dan’s sad gaze met with Gavin’s, looking at Gavin hopelessly “Was his death my fault?”

Gavin was shocked by the question, pulling Dan back into the hug while shaking his head “No-.. no of course not. Elias was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, it was late and raiders were bound to get to him.”

Dan gripped onto Gavin’s hoodie, his head resting on Gavin’s chest as the tears lightly stained the clothing “It’s not fair… it’s just fucking not fair-.. Why him? Why did it have to be my brother? He didn’t do anything wrong-.. Sure he-... he wasn’t the nicest but he didn’t deserve to die..”

Gavin returned to comfortingly moving his hand up and down Dan’s back, “I know, I know it’s hard but it’s not your fault. It never was. We just gotta get through this and stop Jay, if we can find him and put a stop to whatever his plan is, then we can make this city a lot safer to travel through so we can get the hell out of here. We could avenge him by doing as we promised-”   
  


Dan pulled his head away from Gavin’s chest to look up at him with his pinkish eyes that showed the flow of tears had slowed down, “What if we never stop him? What if Jay finds us and kills us?”   
  


Gavin gave him a soft smile, saying “I doubt he will, he hasn’t found us yet even if we’ve been so reckless. And with someone like you leading us, we’re bound to find him soon!”

Dan couldn’t help but crack the smallest of smiles as he tried to fight it back, looking away from Gavin as he wiped his tear-stained cheeks. He let his arms fall to his sides, “What-.. Whatever. I’m going to sleep, just make sure Stephen started his shift.”   
  


Gavin chuckled as he stepped away from Dan, giving him a small wave, and stepped out of the room “Have a good night sleeping beauty, don’t let your thoughts get the best of you. Don’t forget I’m here for you.”

Dan’s smile grew a bit more as he began to close the door as he shifted his gaze away, “Yeah, yeah- you too nerd.”

And with that, the door was shut.

The world is oftentimes awful, deceitful, dangerous. Anarchic, apocalyptic, a world with no control. A world such as this should be feared, even if it should not exist in the first place. And yet, there are those who are greedy, who desire to have power even when it doesn’t matter in the end. Revolution, war, disagreement. Those are vicious, vile aspects of rule that are impossible to prevent. It’s inevitable, and it is our reality.

And yet, despite this hopelessness and the unstoppable fate, there are those who wish to revive what was once a society. Not for a position of power, but for the hope of ‘normal’ life once again. This foolishness and ignorance brought people together, which in turn tore others apart. But those who have been united together, though completely different from one another, all share a slight hope. A hope that is so easily broken. They hope to restore control, to restore  _ order _ into the dreadful world. But of course, with all hope, there is anguish trying to destroy it. 

Welcome to the orderless truth.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Overthinking and Repeating

Dan groaned as he stared at the map before him, his eyes darting across it and studying the area. It doesn’t take long for him to just tiredly sigh in defeat, opening his small book and jotting down his notes. They’ve been searching for Jay’s sanctuary for over a year, having no luck with finding any clues to where he may be. All they know is that his hideout must be in a nearby city because they often see Jay’s men patrolling the area.

But that is not Dan's only concern, food and water are running out, and fast. They have searched so many buildings in hopes that there would be something to eat or drink, but they are finding them less and less. They need to move their hideout somewhere that hasn't been searched as much yet, but with raiders and Jay's army about, it would be nearly impossible to do so. So, they just have to deal with the cards they were dealt with for the time being.

Dan turned the pages of his book, reading the places on the map that have already been searched so he can plan out where the next looting can take place. As he was perusing the text, he took a few more glances at the map. Something just didn't settle right with him, there had to be something wrong. As he kept reading, he began to realize he had written down areas that he had thought the group hadn't even searched yet. He kept flipping through light pages, quickly reading over his own writing, noticing he had forgotten to note down a few places they have already raided before. That makes no sense, he had thought, before and after every raid he always remembers to mark down the areas he had planned for the group to search. 

Dan shook off the idea, no, he was just overthinking things. He was just stressed about finding Jay and resources, that he was just remembering things wrong. He hasn't eaten yet today, so that was probably affecting his brain as well. That reminded him, he needed to get somebody to cook dinner. He had cooked yesterday, and everyone always switches out the duty with one another. So, Dan closed his notebook and folded the map, leaving them both there laying on the table as he headed upstairs. The only other two in the building were Hosuh and Stephen, and not wanting to talk to the person he had argued with the day before, he went up to the third floor and knocked on Hosuh's door.

Not hearing a response, he speaks out, "Hosuh, it's Dan, come out. It's your turn to cook dinner, and it needs to be done before the scouts get back."

A few seconds pass before the door slowly opens, revealing the tired-looking Hosuh before him. "Okay, I'll head downstairs in a moment. I was just organizing the medical supplies."

Dan nodded, "Take your time, just start cooking sometime soon. I'll be down- wait hold on, what happened to your eye??"

Some of his hair was covering his right eye, but under the hair, a bandage was visible that seemed to be over it. Hosuh frowned and adjusted his long hair to wear the bandage was almost fully hidden, "W-well.. I better get to cooking, I'll organize later-"

Hosuh tried to push past Dan, but he held a grip on Hosuh's shoulder. "Hosuh what's going on? What's wrong with your eye? I'm concerned for you, you don't even leave your room unless it's necessary.."

Hosuh took Dan's hand off his shoulder, stepping away from him. "It-.. it was just an accident. It'll be fine, it should heal quickly. No need to be worried, I'm gonna be okay."

Dan gave him a concerned look, "Are you sure? You've been very secluded recently, and we are all here for you. You don't need to keep hiding, y'know.."

Hosuh sighed softly, "I know, I just-" he crossed his arms and looked away from the other, "things have been stressful, for all of us. I know we have nothing left of our past life, but at the very least I can still have my privacy as I had before. Just being alone. That's what brings me the most joy nowadays."

"I guess I can understand that, but you don't have to keep pushing all of your emotions down when near us." Dan gave him a sweet smile, "I know it's hard for you to open up, but we all have an ear if you need one."

"I guess I'll keep that in mind, thanks, Dan." Hosuh stepped back from him once again, "Can I go cook now?"

"Oh yeah." He chuckled and nodded, "Yeah I kinda went off there. Go ahead."

"I'll see you at the meeting later, then."

Ann steps outside the apartment building she had been searching in for the time being, her bag being barely heavier than before she had gone in. She walked up to the small neighboring building, loudly knocking on it as she semi shouts out, "Come on Gavin, we need to get going! You know today we are supposed to be back earlier than usual!"

"Be down in a sec!" He yelled back, stuffing the rest of the bottled water into his practically empty bag. He left the room and sped down the flight of stairs, opening the door Ann was standing by. "Kind of a bust here, just water. I swear we've been in this area before."

"I have no idea anymore, everywhere in this city looks about the same. I wouldn't be surprised if I accidentally searched the same place three times, we are just finding fewer and fewer resources." Ann sighs and begins to walk on the sidewalk, Gavin following behind. "Enough about that, we have a group meeting today. We should probably finish up soon."

Gavin nodded, "Yeah, though I think we should just start to head back now. We are a bit farther out and Dan always wants us to eat and relax a bit before it actually starts."

"Alright then, let's head back." Ann said as they took a left on the sidewalk. 

The two walked the next half hour in silence, the only sound being the quiet steps they were taking. There was no need for conversation, so they didn't feel a need to start any. Speaking to one another is just another factor taking away their energy, and they need to keep as much energy as they possibly can throughout the day. That's why they never run. Well, also because that would be louder than wanted. 

The freezing cold from the late fall didn't help either, their thin hoodies and jackets barely helped at all. Today was a lot chillier than the day before, the damp air just making it seem colder than it actually was. Unfortunately, winter is coming around once more. Snow isn't uncommon in this area, so they need to be prepared for when it falls. The winter has taken away many people who were in the city before, and without the resources they had, they would join those who have been lost.

They continued on until Ann suddenly stopped in her tracks, looking around the area. Gavin stopped moving as well once she had, looking at her in confusion. He opened his mouth to ask her what was up,"Ann? Wh-"

Before he could say another word, Ann suddenly grabbed his arm and forcefully pulled him into a dark alleyway between the buildings. They both sat behind an old rusted dumpster, Ann falling completely silent. Gavin, still confused, was about to ask her what happened before they heard a large group of footsteps in the street. Marauders. Upon hearing them, he balled up a bit more behind the dumpster so he wouldn't be seen, quieting down his breathing just in case.

The group of people became louder as they got closer to the alley, talking loudly with one another and occasionally abrupt into laughter. They didn't seem to notice Ann or Gavin before they went into hiding, both of them thankful for that; it sounded like there were 5 people in the group.The two remained quiet behind the dumpster as the bandits passed by, but something they said had caught their attention.

“God, this is fucking great.” said one, who of which seemed to have a lower voice than the others. “But you know what would be fucking better? If we didn’t have that shitty stupid blonde haired douche bag always up our asses.”

“Yeah!” Another chimed in, “His dumb army keeps stopping us from killing people, like why the fuck do they care? It’s not like people’s lives matter anymore! We aren’t gonna be a part of your stupid ‘sanctuary’ asshole! Stop bugging us about it!”

“If his group wasn’t so fucking big, I would say we kill his ugly fucking face!”

The raiders laughed loudly as they got farther from Ann and Gavin, the two stepping out from behind the dumpster a minute after they weren’t heard anymore. She stretched as she walked out of the dark alley, letting out a tired sigh. “God, that was a close one. Thank god they didn’t hear us, right?”

Gavin nodded as he headed out as well, “Honestly, it probably would’ve been better to stay home. We barely got anything anyway.”

Ann put her cold hands in her pockets, “Well, it’s always safe to check everywhere, even if we don’t get anything.”

“I guess you’re right.” Gavin walked onto the sidewalk and began the trip home once again, Ann following. “Kind of strange how the raiders were talking about Jay, don’t you think?”

“I guess Jay is trying to recruit more people for his army, it makes sense.”

“Wait,” Gavin looked at her, “they said that Jay’s army was big, right? Do you think some bandits actually joined his group? How are we gonna get to Jay if he has a larger army than we thought? I mean we have seen them a lot more recently, it would make a lot of sense…”   
  


Ann immediately got quiet, thinking to herself. She grabbed Gavin’s wrist and looked up at him, “We need to head back, I’ll bring it up at the meeting today. It turns out killing Jay is going to be a lot harder than expected.”

_ Jay's fingers tapped at the wooden desk he sat at as he jotted down the future day plans, his hand cramping a bit from the amount he had written that day. Nonetheless, he kept concentrated on the sheets of paper he was writing on, ignoring the small bit of black ink that got onto his fingers. His stomach growled as he continued, starving himself in order to work on the day’s plans hadn't really worked out for him. He knows he should get up and grab his ration from the dining area, but he decided against it. The paperwork was more important than eating. _

_ He kept on writing down what he needed to, paying no mind to the hand and stomach pain. His eyes were basically glued to the sheet until he heard his office door open, a set of footsteps heard as someone walked into the room and slammed the door behind. Jay looks up at the person who had wandered into his room, not being surprised who it was. Jay irritatedly sighed, speaking in an unimpressed tone, "You know you're supposed to knock, right?" _

_ The man smirked at Jay's frustrated mood, "Of course I do, but since we are good friends I thought you wouldn't mind me barging in without asking. I just wanted to hang out with my old buddy!" _

_ "We aren't friends." Jay scoffed, simply stating, "Stop being so cocky about your position in the sanctuary, just because you're the leader of the army doesn't mean you have a right to bother me about random shit." _

_ "I can find someone else to be the general if you cause more problems," Jay let his chin rest on his palm, "and I hope you know that I found out you took the firearm without permission." _

_ "That snitch…" he crossed his arms and frowned, "But can I not have a weapon for myself? Am I not allowed to have a gun on me, even as the general?" _

_ "Elias, you know we have a rule system here." Jay sighed, "and these rules are in place so that residents of the sanctuary don't have to keep living in anarchy. They are to protect them. You are not an exception to these rules. I won't take the gun from you, just know that I won't be so forgiving next time." _

_ "Fine, whatever." Elias stepped closer to the desk Jay was sitting at, "But what I actually wanted to talk about was our former 'friend' group." _

_ This made Jay sit up a bit more than before, "What about them? Have they come along and decided to join yet?" _

_ "Of course not, they hate your guts." He chuckled to himself, shaking his head. "No, I wanted to talk about how they keep getting in our way. The patrol teams have to go separate routes just to avoid them, which is becoming quite irritating." _

_ "Well it's just something we have to deal with for the time being. They'll come around eventually, it may take a bit but they will learn I have good intentions." _

_ "That's fucking bullshit." Elias scoffed and clenched his fists, "All they want to do is kill you, to put an end to this nice little place. The only way to deal with them is to kil-" _

_ "I'm not going to order them dead." Jay interrupted, standing up from the desk. "They may hate me, and they have their reasons to. I'm not going to kill them for that, they were my friends. I made a promise that I wouldn't hurt them, you know that." _

_ "Nothing is stopping you from breaking that promise! They have done nothing for you other than cause you countless problems. Sure, they don't know where the sanctuary is now, but it's only a matter of time before they realize your little friend is changing up the book plans. What happens then?" _

_ "I'm not breaking it, it's basic human decency. There's not much left of it in this country." Jay placed his hands on his hips, "And when that happens I will find another way to keep them from finding the sanctuary. I don't want them shot and killed when they find it, they are good people." _

_ "Believe what you want Jay." Elias turned to leave the room, "But you know as well as I that they need to be attacked eventually." _

_ And with that, Elias walked out and slammed the door. _


	3. The Conference

_ "Come in." _

_ Upon command, the person had entered the room and sat at the seat in front of Jay's desk. He kept eye contact with the blonde, sitting straight up and trying to look respectful. After all, Jay was a kind man who helped hundreds out on the decaying streets have somewhere to stay and food to eat. Without him, most people at the sanctuary would be dead. Either by the hands of relentless marauders, starvation, dehydration, hypothermia, the list goes on. It would only be right to be kind to him. _

_ Jay was the first to start the conversation, "Now then Mr.Wallace, I hear you've been trying to arrange a meeting with me for quite a bit. What is it you wanted to discuss?" _

_ The man swallowed the lump in his throat, "Mr.Ko, as you very well know, I am the lead command for the medical department in the sanctuary." _

_ "Of course, and everyone here thanks you for your service." Jay said to the man, giving him a soft smile. "Is this about the rising sickness spreading throughout the people?" _

_ "Precisely." He agreed, looking at the documents he had brought with him. "We have gotten 15 more cases since last week, putting people out of work. While the symptoms are incredibly similar to the common cold, I'm afraid that the illness could possibly become more severe once more people are exposed to it." _

_ "Have we found a treatment for this illness yet?" _

_ The doctor shakes his head, "While giving the patients medication does make the symptoms less severe, it wouldn't be wise to do so. The bacteria would build up an immunity to the medicine, which would leave us in a worse state than before. Plus, we don't have many medical supplies." _

_ Jay rests his chin on his hand, "Alright, what do you suppose we do at this time? We can't make the supplies any faster than the rate we are currently going at." _

_ "I request that you set aside some of the most intelligent people in the army, and send them to me so that I can teach them basic medical training. Teaching people like this takes time, but I believe it would be time well spent." _

_ "While I do agree we need more people to help patients," Jay tapped his desk as he spoke, "You said it yourself, it takes time. I'm afraid you and the few current medical professionals will not be able to tend to as many patients when some of your time is being taken. And we need people to be healthy as quickly as possible to put them back to work." _

_ "That is true, we won't be able to help as many people as we are now." Mr. Wallace responded, "But in the long run, it's a good investment. And when we run into more lethal illnesses, I can spend most of my time on the deadly sickness while the others work on treating the common ones without being worried about the process slowly." _

_ Jay thought to himself for a brief moment before pulling out a sheet of paper and a pen, writing down on the thick paper. As he wrote, he said to the doctor "I will look more into the matter on my own, I should make my decision in several days. For now, I suggest you look for volunteers or people to pull from the army who are willing to treat the sick. You are dismissed for now." _

_ "Thank you for your time, sir." _

Ann and Gavin slowly opened the door to the hideout, stepping inside the slightly warmer room. Their arrival was greeted by the presence of Stephen, who looked bored out of his mind sitting in front of the entrance. It's incredibly tedious, but they always have to have somebody on watch duty. They don't want to wake up one day with guns to their heads, killed by the disgusting raiders just so they could steal their belongings. Though having to be alert the whole time, eyes glued to the door is never a fun job. 

The two set their light bags down on the ground to be sorted out later that day; Stephen, having nothing better to do, asks the two, “Nothing much again?”

Gavin was quiet for a moment upon hearing his brother’s voice, remembering the incident from the day before. To his delight, Ann answered the question for him, “It’s kind of pointless to be asking that every day; no, we didn’t. We’ll put what we got in storage after the meeting today.”

"Sounds like a plan." Stephen crossed his arms, saying in a bored tone, "Food's upstairs, you should probably go eat. You know how Dan is, wants us to eat before each meeting. Though I mean, the group meetings are kinda pointless. Why can't we just tell the whole group something immediately rather than having to wait till the day?"

Before Ann said anything, Gavin butted in, "Because we don't have enough time to talk about the issue unless we all get together, discussing possibilities and such."

Stephen shrugged at Gavin’s remark, "I still think we can use our time better doing other stuff."

"What 'other stuff'? We can't even leave our hideout at night, so there's not much more we can do."

"Okay, okay ladies, save it for the meeting today." Ann interrupted, not wanting to hear another fight between the group. Especially for the 2nd time in a row. 

"Fine, whatever." Stephen let his arms fall to his sides, sitting up a bit on the stool he sat on. "Hosuh made soup, as always of course. But hey, at least it's a way to push the little hobbit out of his hidey-hole. Dude probably loves sleeping in bed all day, he doesn't even help with searches."

"Hosuh is weaker, both physically and mentally, than probably the rest of us." Gavin glared at Stephen, "Give him a break, he's been through a lot."

"Yeah, so have I but you don't see me weeping or cooping up in my room."

"Well, unlike you, we can't afford to lose Hosuh." Stephen rolls his eyes but Gavin ignored the gesture and continues, "He is the only one of us who has any sort of medical training; if we get sick or hurt, he's our only hope."

"Yeah well, he doesn't have to be so mean to me." He pouted, making an exaggerated sad expression. “ _ You're one to talk _ ,” Gavin thought to himself.

Ann grabbed onto Gavin's wrist, tugging on it a bit "Come on Gavin, we don't have long till the meeting. We need to eat."

Gavin was glad Ann had come in, turning both of their attention to her. Gavin nodded, "Yeah you're right, let's head up."

Stephen didn't bother saying another word as the two of them headed upstairs, Ann letting go of Gavin as they walked together to the 2nd floor. The smell of food had filled the floor, the same food they have almost every day. Gavin doesn't mind, it does suck but he got used to it rather quickly. Anything is better than starving to death out on the streets. Ann walked up to the counter and grabbed her ration of soup, Hosuh sitting on a small chair by the counter eating his food. She gave him a small friendly wave and smile, before heading up to her room. Gavin grabbed his ration as well, sitting nearby --about a chair away-- from Hosuh, not wanting to invade his personal space. Hosuh doesn't eat out of his room often so Gavin wants to take this chance to just talk to him. 

"Hey Hosuh, how have you been doing?"

Hosuh raised his head at the unexpected question, looking away "I'm doing the same as ever, you say that like we haven't seen each other for a week."

"Well I mean, you barely leave your room. It probably has been a week," Gavin jokes, chucking to himself until he saw Hosuh unamused. He dropped his smirk, "Don't worry, I understand. You wanna be alone and I get it."

"At least someone does.." Hosuh looked back down to his bowl of soup, continuing to eat.

Awkward silence fell between the two as they ate dinner, occasionally glancing at the other. Gavin let out a quiet sigh, placing his bowl on his lap. "Hosuh, do you mind if I ask you something?"

Hosuh remained quiet for a brief moment, thinking to himself before saying, "Go ahead."

"Why are you so distant toward us nowadays? We are your friends, right? You do know that we wouldn't ever do anything to hurt you?"

"I just.." Hosuh tensed up in his seat, avoiding eye contact with Gavin as he tried searching for an answer. "It's all just stupid. I hate hearing the loud voices of people, and that's pretty often with Dan and Stephen arguing all the time."

Gavin nodded at his response, "Of course it's stupid, arguing about every little thing gets nothing done. Stephen needs to learn self-control. Is that really the reason you avoid us though?"

Hosuh poked the spoon at the soup as he talked, not caring to look up as he talked. "Yeah, and the fact that I just like being by myself. No one bothering me, no one reminding me of the reality that I'm kinda stuck here if I want to live."

Gavin places his open hand on Hosuh's shoulder, causing him to flinch. Seeing his reaction made Gavin pull his hand away. "No one wants to be reminded of the situation we are in, but that's just the harsh reality. You can't just push that idea away, no matter how better you feel when you do. You can't stay in denial forever, that won't help anything."

"I mean, I guess you're right about that. Just living with people like this is hard for me; I know some of us lived together at some point, but that was when we were safe." Hosuh ate the last portion of soup in his bowl, swallowing the mediocre food.

He gave Hosuh a slight smirk, "Well I'm happy that you take some joy out of something, I will do my best to not bother you."

"But you're not the problem, Stephen is."

The statement made Gavin think to himself, trying to think of a way to help. A few seconds pass before he says "I will bring up Stephen and how he acts up at the meeting today, how does that sound?"

"I doubt it will help." Hosuh placed the empty, dirty bowl on the counter to be rinsed out later. He sighed to himself, "But I guess it's better than nothing."

Gavin placed his own on the counter as well "He'll eventually come around, don't worry Hosuh. He won't be like this forever."

Hosuh didn't respond to Gavin's last statement, taking the big bottle of water that had also sat on the counter and the fabric towels that had overstayed their use. He dampened the rag and scrubbed the dirty bowls, it wasn't the best way of cleaning them but they can't just eat out of containers that had stains on them from the previous day. Of course, it's impossible to get all the stains and grease out. They don't have access to soap --when they did they would focus more on cleaning themselves--, so they have to manage. Gavin just watches in silence as Hosuh 'washes' the two bowls with the unclean towel. As he was finishing up he sighs to himself, finally speaking up.

"I hate him."

Gavin was surprised, both by how sudden it was and what he said. It took himself a second to respond, "Hosuh you-.. you can't mean that.."

Hosuh's nose scrunched up, he placed the bowls on the counter and turned to Gavin. "I do, I fucking hate him."

"Isn't that a bit harsh? I mean I understand why you may, but…" Gavin tried searching for something to say, Hosuh couldn't have actually meant that. Right? "You've known him for years! Weren't you guys best friends?"

"Well Dan and Jay were best friends, but shit changes. People become worse, and Stephen is a big candidate for that.'' And with that, Hosuh walked away from Gavin who didn't bother to follow. Hosuh wanted to be alone now, he should respect it.

Gavin let out a defeated breath, he really wished he could've at least helped Hosuh feel a little better. But it was hopeless, Hosuh just didn't look on the bright side anymore. He lost his optimism years ago, and he's been this way ever since. It could've been when the massive arguments began between Jay and their group, but none of them are sure. All they know is that Hosuh isn't who he was before, but they know that they should just respect him for who is now. Though everyone in the group, even Gavin, can admit that they miss the old fun Hosuh. The one who would bring joy to all of their lives.

He decides to just let the thought go, but it makes his mind wander back. Back when everything was okay, when they weren't constantly worried about being killed on the streets. Now that he thought about it, Hosuh wasn't the only one who changed. Everyone did, they were all so different back then. Ann wasn't a huge threat, Daniel wasn't constantly worried he was putting everyone's lives on the line, Stephen wasn't that mean --he was honestly kind of funny--, Gavin actively worked out and was basically a sweet jock, Jay was a good kind friend, and Elias was alive. 

Gavin frowned at the thought of Elias; he wasn't very close to the guy, he didn't even like him, but he knows that Dan cared about him. Even though Elias was a bit of a dick, Daniel still loved him. They were brothers, close since he was born. Gavin wished it was the same with him and Stephen, but their relationship would never get to that. He can't imagine how it must feel to lose an older brother that he was close to. Of course, the rest of their family is most likely dead, but at least they didn't have to see their corpses. Gavin shook his head, he can't go on about thinking of his family again. 

Hosuh had gone to his room, opening the creaky door and slamming it behind once he had walked inside. He sighed heavily as his right eye stung; no matter how much he treated it, it didn't stop hurting. He hopes to whatever god still exists that it didn't become infected. He walked over to his mirror --which had a massive crack in the middle-- and sat down at the desk it was resting on. He moved his long grey hair out of the way, slowly removing the bandages covering his eye. Once they were all off, Hosuh sighed as he stared at his reflection. A deep scar laid itself over Hosuh's eye, still not fully treated. Hosuh opened one of the drawers of the desk, pulling out the hydrogen peroxide inside. He hates using valuable resources like this but he has no choice. 

He grabbed his small rag and poured a small bit of the substance onto it, letting it soak in and become damp on the rag. Carefully, he patted the rag on the scar, wincing at the slight stinging of it. Soon enough he was finished with the light treatment, folding up the towel and screwing the cap onto the bottle. He places the items back in the drawers they belonged in, grabbing the bandages on the desk surface. He closed his damaged eye as he wrapped the bandages over his eye, he should be able to take them off tomorrow. Finishing up with the treatment, he placed the roll of bandages back where they belonged. 

Though no matter how much it helped, he knew he would never gain sight from that eye again. Sure, it wouldn't be too serious years ago, but that was because he could visit the hospital. But he's not some experienced eye doctor, he wasn't even able to become a nurse. The revolution started as he was working on his medical degree, he was never able to finish the 3rd term in university because the school shut down. Doesn't matter though, he at least has a bit of training. They are not entirely screwed if something were to go wrong. Though he doesn't know how much the group would trust a half-blind man to treat their wounds or sickness. 

Suddenly a loud knock came from the door, making Hosuh jump a bit. From behind it, Ann shouted out "Hosuh, come on! We are about to start the meeting!"

"Alright, be there in a second!" He yelled back as he positioned his hair over his eye, covering a large amount of the bandage. He doesn't want anyone bringing it up, he was glad Dan let him go before he had to explain that the raiders had attacked him a few days before. Hosuh stood up from the desk with a sigh, might as well just head there now before Stephen yells at him. He exits the room, making his way up to the 4th, and final, floor of the building. 

The area contained many cabinets and drawers, using things like desks, kitchen cabinets, dressers, and many more pushed against the wall to create some sort of storage area. While the clash of all these different containers looked god awful around each other, they were all well organized with what they needed. No drawer or cabinet was labeled, but after spending a long time here they just know by memory where everything is. And if not, well, you'd find what you needed eventually. 

In the middle of this single room floor was a large circular table, different types of chairs were sat around it with all the others sitting in their assigned chair. An interior decorator would be offended by the horrible design of the place and how nothing went together one bit, but it was home. They had to work with what they got, even though 'what they got' just looked like garbage. Hosuh sat in his seat, and so the meeting began.

"Looks like everyone is here, no reason not to start now!" Dan said as he stood up from his chair, looking around the table at the people who sat at it. "First order of business as always, has anyone found any information on Jay's location? I will take any info I can get, so if you know anything, speak now."

It was silent at first as Dan expected, for it is like this every time Jay is brought up in a meeting. But he didn't expect it when Ann spoke up, "Well, we don't necessarily know anything on where Jay is, but while Gavin and I were out earlier today we heard the raiders talk about him."

"What did they say? Do the bandits know where he is?"

Ann shook her head, "No, I don't think so. They mentioned that Jay had tried to recruit them, to stop them from killing others."

"And? What does that have to do with anything?" Stephen had butted in, crossing his arms.

Gavin turned his head towards his brother, answering, "It means that even though those raiders didn't join Jay, there had to be some that became a part of Jay's group."

"So? They probably just wanted free food or whatever the fuck Jay's got. Hell, they may be trying to run the whole thing down."

Ann spoke out once again, "Jay could have a larger army than we had thought, you had to have noticed that there aren't nearly as many raiders as there was over a year ago."

"I just thought they finally fell over and died," Stephen shrugged to himself, "we have no idea whether they joined or not, they could've all denied his request and he just decided to kill some of them."

Gavin said in a bit of a louder tone, "Well we can't just throw the idea away-"

"Hush Gavin, the adults are talking." Stephen interrupted with the rude comment. 

"Oh my god, just because I'm two years younger than everyone here doesn't mean I'm a child." Gavin spat back at him, "And that's another thing! The way you act towards everyone here is just awful! You don't even think about how we may feel!"

Gavin's statement made Stephen laugh, "Come on, you're just sensitive! You guys know it's just a joke! I don't actually mean that shit, and I'm sorry you're too stupid to understand."

"You're just proving my point-"

Stephen chuckled to himself, "Another joke!"

"Stephen," Dan had come in once again, "Gavin is right, every one of us is getting sick of your attitude."

Hosuh and Ann nodded, making Stephen get a little ticked. He took a small moment to respond, "Well it doesn't matter anyway! At least I get shit done! Unlike  _ some _ people here, I bring things back to the table."

"We can't risk sending everyone out Stephen," Dan furrowed his eyebrows, "And sure, while you do bring things back, our physical needs aren't the only thing that need to be tended to. You are constantly pushing us, pushing  _ me _ , over the edge."

"Well, would you rather me not bring back anything? Just fucking do nothing the whole day just like you?"

"I'd rather you get your attitude together," Dan growled, "You're just another mouth to feed, it would be no problem to kick you out onto the streets."

"What? You.." Stephen's voice raised, but got considerably shakier, "You can't fucking do that! Are you just gonna leave me out to die just because I'm not the nicest?!"

"We won't kick you out if you just fucking  _ try _ to become better!"

"I'm not fucking changing for shit just because a green-haired asshole told me to!" Stephen stood up from his seat, slamming his hand down onto the table. "I'll fucking fight you, you're not kicking me ou-"

"Stephen stop yelling at him!" Gavin shouted out, "it's not his fault! He just wants what's best for the group, and you're being a dick!"

"Oh siding with fucking Daniel now?" Stephen’s fist clenched, "You're my fucking brother, you're supposed to be on my side! But now you're going against the Ng family?"

"I'm not going against our family, I'm going against you! In fact, you're the fucking disappointment to us!"

"If I was a disappointment, Cherry wouldn't have-"

"ENOUGH EVERYONE!"

The loud voice got everyone to turn their head towards Ann, who didn't look very happy from the conversation and was standing up from her seat. "This is a fucking meeting, you can argue and yell at each other later. We are supposed to talk about what happened and what we found. This isn't an excuse to scream at each other."

"Stephen." Her head turned towards him, "We expect change. Not immediate, but you have to try. Got It?

No matter how much Stephen wanted to defend himself, he just nodded as he sat down. "Yeah, got it."

"Um-.. Thank you, Annabelle." Dan had said as he scratched the back of his neck, Ann sitting down back in her chair. "Does anyone else have any information they want to share?"

Dan took the silence as an answer, sighing to himself. "That's it? You guys didn't find anything else?"

"I mean I have no idea what you're expecting," Hosuh finally spoke up after being silent the entire time, "We never find anything that's too useful, and at this rate, we'll never find Jay. Have you figured anything out instead of leaving all the work to Ann, Gavin, and Stephen?"

"I mean kind of-.." Dan looked away from him, "I just don't know if it's just me being an idiot or there's something wrong.."

Gavin gave him a small smirk, "Well if you have anything just bring it up, we aren't gonna think you're dumb...except Stephen."

Stephen shot Gavin a glare, which he ignored. Dan sighed and pulled out his notebook from the pocket of the hoodie he wore, "I'm still not sure about it, but you know how I jot down everywhere we have searched? It feels like entries are missing, and random other entries have been added. I don't know, I'm probably just overthinking things."

Stephen sat up a bit, "And we put you in charge? Someone who doesn't even remember what they wrote?!"

" _ Stephen _ ," Ann said in a harsh tone and glared at the purple-haired man, who in turn just silenced himself upon seeing her anger. She looked back up at Dan, "Can you hand me the book, Daniel? I wanna take a look at it."

He complied with Ann's request, handing her the somewhat worn down notebook. As soon as it was in her hands, she decided to flip through the pages quickly; even through blank ones. After a few seconds of silence, she looked up from the book "Your handwriting is very neat. Do you know how many pages were in the notebook when you got it?"

Dan nodded, "Yeah, I think it was a 200 paged notebook. I bought several before the revolution started and just saved them. Why?"

"Hm, interesting," Ann said, glancing back down at the book. "Have you torn out any of the pages?"

"No, if I make a mistake I just erase what I wrote."

"Well I don't know the exact number," Annabelle closed the notebook carefully. "But there are definitely less than 200 pages."

"I mean, I guess I could've torn pages out and not remembered but it's not likely.." Dan crossed his arms, "I'm not the smartest though."

"Well, I do think there's something wrong." Gavin claimed, "It feels like we are just looking through buildings we've gone through before. And the ones I think I searched in before don't really have anything."

Dan raised an eyebrow, "Strange, I make sure to always write which buildings you guys go through. Especially since I have the map, it's easy to label and track where you guys have gone. I do this so we make sure we aren't repeating buildings."

"Then how are we going through the same places when you're doing that?"

Ann thought to herself for a moment, lifting her head.

"What if someone has been changing your notes?"

  
  
  



	4. Traitor

Dan turns his head toward Ann, eyes widening. "What did you say?"

Ann looks away, feeling like she shouldn't have said anything. "I said what if someone is changing your plans? Taking it when you aren't looking and ripping out pages and adding in new entries."

"But," Gavin sat up, looking confused, "why would anyone do that?"

She tensed up as she answered the blue-haired male, "There could be someone changing it to make sure we won't find a certain somebody." 

"Wait-" Gavin stumbled, "You're not saying there-"

Ann nodded, knowing already what he was going to ask. "Yes, I'm saying that there could be a spy in the group. Someone working for Jay to prevent us from stopping him."

"But we've been together in a group for a few years." Dan unconfidently rebutted, standing up from his seat. "Was this person spying for them the whole time? It just doesn't seem right."

"Well we can't deny the possibility, and I don't think there's any other reason why someone would be changing your plans."

"What if we are just overthinking this though? What if Dan just did things wrong?" Gavin asked her, nervous to hear the response. The idea of someone was with Jay all along, it was scary.

Ann looked away from the other, not wanting to believe it herself. "Well even then, we should've found the sanctuary by now. Hell, it's been over a year. We should have found something. We are just repeating routes we've been through before."

Dan's eyes darted to Stephen, "I mean, I don't want to point fingers, but…"

"Woah, Woah, Woah!" Stephen stopped him, a booming voice escaping from him. "You think I'M the traitor?"

"Well, we need to consider any possibility-"

Stephen slammed his fist on the table, "But I'm  _ NOT  _ a possibility! I would never work for a rat like him!"

Dan crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow in doubt. "There's always a chance you're lying y'know."

"What if you were the spy, huh? Maybe you set up the whole organization system so it would be easier for you to control where we go, making sure we won't find Jay!" Stephen smirked in satisfaction at his rebuttal.

That left Daniel incredibly confused, "Then why would I even bring up the fact that I thought something was wrong with my book?"

"So that you wouldn't be a suspect when we eventually figure out there's a spy! Turn us against each other and watch this group fall apart! That's exactly what you want, isn't it?"

"What? No! The last thing I was is for us to be torn apart!" Dan sat back down in his seat with a tired huff, "I've known you all for years, I would never even consider being the spy."

Stephen glared at the greenette, "Weren't you and Jay best friends? You've known each other longer than you've known us, you could've arranged it then!"

Dan's hand came up in confusion as Stephen spoke this nonsense, "That doesn't even make any sense, none of us were even fighting at that time!"

"Well you were closer to him than any of us, so the idea that you're a dirty traitor is still on the table."

He slammed his hand down on the table and stood, beginning to get agitated once again. "Fuck you! I hate Jay just as much as you! Just because I was friends with him for some time doesn't mean that I like him anymore! By that logic, you are a big candidate as well! You two were the fucking best of buds! 'Partners in crime', you two called it!"

"Oh, don't you fucking try switching the suspicion on me again. What do you have against me, hm? Come on, I'm fucking waiting!"

He aggressively shrugged, "I don't know, you seem like you hate this place more than anyone else! Maybe you're just waiting for Jay to come rescue you from this 'hell'! 

Stephen growled at the response, "Fuck no, I'd rather be here than whatever dump truck Jay is living in. And that's not even a reason I'm the traitor! If I  _ WAS  _ a spy, wouldn't I try to act nice to make me less suspicious?"

“I don’t know! But accusing me with no reason other than 'I hate you' doesn't help your case."

His fist loudly slammed down onto the table, " _ YOU _ were the one who first blamed me! I had good reasons, you just won't listen ‘cause you're a fucking idiot!"

"If I was the spy, I wouldn't let my brother just die like that! I would rather keep him safe and risk being 'revealed' or whatever." Daniel crossed his arms, sinking deeper in his seat.

"People act, Daniel." Stephen reminded, "I wouldn't be surprised if Elias' death was part of your plan all along. The man was military trained, he could've been betrayed by someone he dearly trusts. Someone such as his brother. You did find his body after all."

The entire floor went quiet as everyone started at Stephen in shock, Dan's eyes widening. He sat up once again, an obvious stiffness in the posture. He began shaking in his seat like a sudden cold made its way into the room. It wasn't long until the tears dripped down, one by one. 

Gavin opened his mouth to say something, but instead was frightened when Daniel suddenly screamed out, " _ WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU _ ?! You-...  _ YOU FUCKING ACCUSE ME OF BEING A FUCKING MURDERER?! YOU'RE SAYING I KILLED MY GODDAMN BROTHER?! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU, FUCK YOU, F-" _

Stephen shook his head, "Uhuh, keep up the act. Real convincing there, buddy! What is it? Were you blackmailed? Bribed? Threatened? Why are you working for him, Dan? I'm dying to know!"

Ann turned her head to him, demanding "Stephen shu-"

Dan shut his eyes tight, but the tears seeped through. His voice was loud in hopes he would drown out the thoughts, " _ YOU HAVE NO FUCKING HEART IN THAT BODY OF YOURS, NONE!! I'LL KILL YOU, I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU! _ "

"I'd like to see you try grass boy. You're only provin-"

" _ STEPHEN SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH _ !" Gavin shouted, standing from his seat. "For ONCE in your damn life, SHUT THE FUCK UP! You're putting Dan in a state of immense panic! I can't fucking believe you anymore, cause it seems like all you wanna do is HURT PEOPLE!!"

Stephen scoffed, not even looking at his brother as he replied, "Oh, of course, you're on your  _ boyfriend's _ side again. I see how it is, you think I'm the traitor too, right? After what I've done for everyone here? I can't believe it, my own younger brother siding with pathetic pieces of shit."

"I never fucking said a goddamn thing about you being a spy, I don't believe you are! But y'know what? Dealing with some sort of spy is a WHOLE LOT better than dealing with a horrible person like YOU."

Stephen was about to snarkily reply until Gavin took a step closer to him, not having time to react as a fist smashed into his jaw. Stephen stumbled back, holding his jaw in his cupped hand. It looked like it hurt, and a lot. Gavin could feel his hand aching from the harsh force. Everything in Gavin's brain told him to apologize, to help Stephen from hurting anymore. But he didn't, Stephen needed to learn a lesson, even if Gavin didn't want to be the one to teach it. 

Gavin's action made the whole table fall silent, staring in disbelief. Gavin had never gone that far in an argument, most of the time he at least tries to be respectful. He never goes as far as hurting anyone. The look of shock and despair rested in Stephen's eyes, no matter how much he tried to fight it back. That hurt, especially coming from somebody he didn't expect. Gavin opened his mouth to speak up, but Stephen just stood up from his chair.

He audibly mumbled, "I'm going to my room, I'll see all you asses tomorrow."

No one stopped Stephen as he went downstairs, sitting in silence as they all avoided eye contact with one another. They all heard a door slam from the floor below, the tension standing. The only sound on the floor was the occasional sobs coming from Dan, tears endlessly streaming down his face.

Ann was the next to get up and leave, then Hosuh. Neither of them bothered to say a word as they left, afraid to make the situation worse than it already is. The only people left on the tense floor were Dan and Gavin. He walked over to the upset male, softly laying a hand on his back. 

"Hey, I'm sorry that happened. Stephen shouldn't have said that to you, it was awful." Gavin softly said, crouching down a bit. "Don't worry about the night shift tonight, I'll take over instead. I want you to get some sleep."

Dan nodded and wiped the tears that still flowed, his shaky voice saying "Th-.. thank you, Gav…"

He gave the smaller one a small smirk, "Anytime Dan, I'm always willing to help you."

Daniel let out an exhausted breath, his head falling in his hands. He hoarsely spoke, "I knew some-.. something like this was gonna happen. I-i fucking knew it. That something would separate the group e-even further.."

The smirk dropped from Gavin's face, his hand moving slowly up and down Dan's back. He asked the greenette, "Do you believe there’s actually a traitor among the group?"

He nodded his head, tensing up. He takes a small moment of silence to answer, "Yeah, I-I believe there is. I'm just-.. I'm so fucking scared. What if we think it's the wrong one? What if the spy wants to hurt us when we find out? It can be anyone."

"I doubt that will happen," Gavin reassured. "Do you think Stephen is the spy?"

"I-i don't know," Dan mumbled, the tear droplets falling onto the table. "My brain is just so… so jumbled up. I don't know what to think, I don't know what to do. I don't know who to trust…"

"That's okay, you'll feel better in the morning. It's okay to cry it out tonight." Gavin finally takes his hand off Daniel's back, wrapping his arms around him. He knows he should've stayed silent, that he should've just ended the conversation there. But, he was just longing to know, "Do you trust me?

The question hung awkwardly in the air, Daniel staying quiet as he isn't sure if he should answer it. He let out a heavy sigh, "I don't know yet."

"Alright, that's understandable." Gavin pulled away from the hug, standing straight up. "I think you should head downstairs now, get some needed rest."

"Okay." Dan sat up in the seat, Gavin finally getting a look at his face. Tear stains were visible on his red cheeks, the bags under his eyes were incredibly dark. His expression looked just tired, the occasional tear falling once again. He reached out his hand, offering to help Daniel up. He took the hand, slowly standing up from the chair.

Gavin reached to the table, grabbing the notebook Dan had left on it. He handed the book to the male, "Keep this close to you, hide it somewhere we won't find it just in case."

Dan nodded and took the worn-out book, hugging it close to his body. He had begun to turn away from the other, "Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow Gavin."

"Before you go," Gavin stopped him, Daniel giving him a confused look. "Do you think tea could help calm your nerves? You haven't had it in a long time."

"Gavin." He furrowed his eyebrows, "We don't have many tea bags, I don't want to waste it just because I'm upset."

"It's not wasting, Dan. If it helps you feel at least a little better, then it's not a waste. And I know you miss drinking it, you would have at least a cup a day back then."

Dan looked away, "Still, I don't want the others to be mad because I'm drinking something different other than water when everyone else just gets nothing. Plus, that's just more work for you."

"They won't get mad," Gavin promised, smiling at him. "It's no trouble, really. Let me do this for you, things have been stressful lately. You deserve at least some sort of reward for all the crap you put up with."

"You're not giving this up, are you?" Dan sighed, "Fine, I guess a cup of tea would be nice for once. Thank you."

"Anytime."

_ Elias suddenly opened the door to the blonde male’s office, a big grin on his face. Elias kept his snarky expression as he teased, “Oh, Jayyy!~ Came again to bother you again, ‘cause there’s nothing to fucking do around here!” _

_ But as Elias looked at the desk Jay usually sat at, he realized that his hated boss wasn’t there. He stood in silence for a brief moment before grabbing the doorknob and quietly shutting the door behind him, letting out an angered sigh. “Fucking finally,” he thought to himself, making his way to the empty desk. Jay always kept his door locked when he wasn’t in the office, and he always had the key in his pocket; so Elias never really had the chance to do a bit of searching.  _

_ Once Elias got behind the table, glancing at all the items it had on it. Of course, he’s seen the paperwork, pens, pencils, and other sorts of supplies when he talked to Jay. Even the small picture frame that sat on the desk, though he hadn’t actually looked at the picture inside. He picked up the frame and held it up to see, god he wished he had his glasses on.  _

_ His eyes darted across the picture, groaning in frustration. It was an image of his old group of friends, each one of them smiling so happily. Hell, even Elias was even in the photo with a small smirk beside his younger brother Daniel. Though his hair was a lot shorter then, which was growing back after serving in the military for several years. They all looked so young, even though it wasn’t even ten years ago. But Elias doesn’t miss the old times, not one bit. Unlike Jay, he doesn’t envy his previous self. He even pities it. Sure, Elias doesn’t have some nice home or a chance to have a shower anymore, but he’s happier. Well, he would be if it weren’t for Jay. _

_ He could have easily just left his old team, laughing at the look of betrayal in their eyes. Oh, how hard Daniel would cry. It could have been so simple, but Jay didn’t want that for a reason Elias did not know. He suggested Elias should fake his death, even giving food and resources to those disgusting marauders to make it possible. The effort was useless in the long run, he knows they are going to figure out Elias is alive eventually. Plus, Elias couldn’t care less if they were all upset. He hated them all, even his brother. But Jay wouldn’t let him leave the group until he had agreed to fake his death, so he complied. _

_ Elias put the frame back on the surface, reaching down to the first drawer of the desk. He pulls out the small drawer, leaning down and taking a peek inside. In the small area, bundles of pictures were piled up messily. Elias had no idea Jay cared about taking pictures in the past, so he was decently surprised. He took the small photograph on the top of all the madness, which looked to be clean, unlike the other dusty images.  _

_ He held it up once again to see what the photo contained, his nose scrunching up at seeing it. Of course it wasn’t dusty, he expects Jay’s been clutching that picture like his life depended on it; sobbing to himself when he was alone. Elias snickered at the thought, Jay’s front wasn’t very convincing. Especially because Elias has been around him for so much time, he knows it’s only a matter of time before Jay breaks. He can’t wait till that day comes, where he finally sees Jay submit to his dark thoughts. Crying like there’s no tomorrow, and Elias will be laughing. Maybe that day, Jay will finally get what he deserves. _

_ Elias slipped the photograph into his suit jacket pocket, slowly closing the drawer. He knows people would call him heartless, that he gains pleasure from seeing others suffer. Sure, Elias does love the rush of adrenaline he gains when someone is screaming their hearts out at him. Adoring the old Elias in his brain telling him to stop hurting people, to be kind, and help others who need it. That Elias had died long ago, only existing as a quiet voice in his head; a conscious. Of course, that small consciousness is constantly suppressed, kicked down any chance Elias has the chance to. _

_ Elias reached out again to open another drawer until a demanding voice was heard at the doorway. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” _

_ He looked up to see the angry Jay before him, smirking as he stood straight up. “Nothing, just doing a bit of looking around. It’s not like you have anything to hide, right?” _

_ “Elias, get the fuck out of my office.” _

_ He made his way over to the slightly smaller male, snarkily replying, “With pleasure, this place sucks anyway.” _

_ As Elias walked past the angry other, he placed his cold hands in his pockets. He snickered to himself, his slow footsteps loudly creaking the wooden floor. He gave a quick glance to Jay as he left the room, finally saying, “You know, the picture on your desk looks lovely.” _

_ And with that, he nonchalantly headed down the hallway as Jay wondered what Elias had seen or done while alone in the room. _


End file.
